Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.

Custom Search

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

...Before sentencing, [former Long Beach Officer Brandon] Preciado's wife, Yessenia, asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Richman to consider Preciado's role as the father of three children. "I am not here to make excuses or to say whether he's guilty or not guilty," Yessenia Preciado said. But she cited his military service and work as a police officer and said, "He's a great family man"...

PREVIOUS POSTS:

[CA] Long Beach Police Officer Preciado 5-hour stand-off, tools of torture, and 21 domestic violence felonies - with injury to spouse - [Long Beach Police Officer] Brandon Preciado was charged Tuesday morning with a total of 21 counts, including nine felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and making a criminal threat, all felonies... Weapons allegedly used in the beatings included a flashlight, belt, hammer, broom handle and baton... A protective order requiring Preciado to stay away from his wife was issued by the court, but the court didn't issue a stay-away order for the couple's children... [The news is still all about him. Who is helping her through this? Was that a Long Beach Police issued flashlight and baton?]

LOS ANGELES - A 30-year-old former Long Beach police officer was sentenced to 12 years and four months in prison Monday for what a judge called the "physical and psychological torture" of his wife.

Brandon Preciado was convicted Oct. 2 of more than a dozen felonies and a handful of misdemeanors for repeatedly choking, beating and threatening his wife.

The eight-woman, four-man jury, which deliberated for about a day, convicted him of six felony counts of corporal injury to a spouse, three counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and one count of criminal threats. He was also convicted of five misdemeanor charges - three counts of assault and two counts of battery.

He was acquitted of resisting, obstructing or delaying a law enforcement officer. Before sentencing, Preciado's wife, Yessenia, asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Richman to consider Preciado's role as the father of three children.

"I am not here to make excuses or to say whether he's guilty or not guilty," Yessenia Preciado said. But she cited his military service and work as a police officer and said, "He's a great family man."

"I believe he needs help more than he needs prison time," she said.

Deputy District Attorney Amy Pentz countered, "We respectfully disagree with her. This is a man who repeatedly beat, choked and tortured his wife."

Prosecutors said Preciado's attacks on his wife occurred between Sept. 18, 2011, and Jan. 12 at the couple's Pico Rivera home. When one of the couple's children walked in on a beating, Preciado told the child he was just hugging Yessenia, according to Pentz.

Preciado was legally eligible for probation, but Pentz asked for the maximum sentence of 16 years, 10 months.

"A probationary sentence or light sentence is what I would call a bad bet," the deputy district attorney said.

But Richman said the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that Preciado had never expressed any remorse during the trial contributed to his decision not to grant probation and to impose the 12-year, four-month sentence.

He also ordered Preciado to pay $1,266.91 to a victims' compensation fund.

In an interview with police detectives and during a preliminary hearing, Yessenia testified to multiple attacks by her husband, who was a police officer at the time. He threatened to hit her with a work-issued flashlight and to break her jaw if she didn't tell him the truth, and then wrapped a belt around her neck during the first attack.

She said she suffered bleeding from her nose during an attack Nov. 11 in which her husband put her in a headlock. She also said he choked her during a New Year's Day run-in, but he told her he wouldn't kill her at the time because her brothers were in the home.

The woman testified that her husband pushed her into a tile shower wall, struck her with a closed fist, threatened to hit her with a hammer and break her jaw and then struck her with a broom on Jan. 4.

Preciado hit her repeatedly Jan. 9 with his police- issued baton after ordering in an angry voice for her to get "on all fours," and then woke her up a day later with his forearm against her neck, she testified.

The woman testified that she suffered a swollen left eye and bloody lips during the last alleged attack Jan. 12, saying her spouse repeatedly slapped her across the face, bent her left pinky back, bit her face and threatened that she should "prepare to die" before she ran to a neighbor's house to seek help.

But during the trial, Yessenia proved a more reluctant witness, repeatedly saying she didn't remember what had happened.

Sitting in court Monday, she smiled when Richman said he would not issue a protective order because he felt Preciado's long jail term would make another violent attack unlikely.

Yessenia Preciado had asked the court not to grant such an order because she wanted to be free to bring her children to visit their father, Pentz told the judge.

Before leaving the courtroom, Newton handed a notice of appeal to the court clerk.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

...[Savannah-Chatham Police Officer Ralph] Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year... Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times....

SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY ARREST
Savannah Morning News
By Lesley Conn
Posted: October 26, 2012
[Excerpts] A Savannah-Chatham police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a domestic violence incident. Ralph Joseph Difiore, 46, has been charged with battery/domestic violence and disorderly house after Pooler police responded Oct. 20 to a call from a neighbor. Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year. Difiore’s girlfriend, Heather Cook Walters, 35, faces the same two charges. A Jan. 17 court date was set for both... Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. based on a neighbor’s concerns that he could hear yelling, things being thrown and a woman crying in the couple’s residence. Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes and determined that in this case, “mediation and separation was not the answer”... Their accounts to police differ in the Oct. 20 call. Difiore contends Walters was severely drunk and “stumbling all over the place.” She began swinging and clawing at him when he tried to get her into bed, he told police. When officers questioned Walters, they noted that at no time did she appear unsteady on her feet or falling-over drunk. She denied ever striking Difiore, but said he choked her and threw a foot stool at her... [Full article here]

SCMPD OFFICER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER ARREST
WTOC
By Alex Bender abender@wtoc.com
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Savannah-Chatham Metro officer Ralph Difiore is on administrative leave... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... They were both released on bond Wednesday. They will be back in court in January. [Full article here][police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety history hx repeated mutual combat alleged georgia state politics]

Friday, October 26, 2012

In her mother's kitchen Iris Ramos was shot twice in the head by her husband, Philadelphia police officer Orlando Ramos. He then fatally shot himself. Iris underwent emergency surgery at Episcopal Hospital, but died the following day. "Police said the couple's 5-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting."
Orlando: November 24, 1984.
Iris: November 25, 1984.

Randolph County Alabama Sheriff's Deputy Robert Gary Sims Jr. has been indicted by a grand jury for MURDER in the death of his wife, Randolph County Sheriff's Deputy Brenda Joyce Sims. He had said it was an accident when a gun in the rifle bag discharged as it was put down on December 31, 2011.

FROM JANUARY:[AL] Goodbye to loved Randolph County Reserves Sheriff's Cpt. Brenda Sims- ...Because Mr. and Mrs. Sims worked with RCSO, Sheriff David Cofield called the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to work the case, which is under investigation but at this time appears to have been an accident... Mrs. Sims was a captain in the reserves and Mr. Sims is a major...[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities unsolved unresolved usur alabama state politics accidental shooting accident]

"Since when is it illegal for married couples or otherwise to yell at each other. What was not mentioned in the story was that at no time did I threaten either my wife or the officer. As far as I know there are no laws that prohibit married people from using foul lanuage towards each other when there are no other people present.It was alleged that I was intoxicated and was blocking a lane of traffic, however they felled to mentioned that our vehicle was parked at the curb lane with the flashers on.They indicated that I was intoxicated but apparentely not charged with DUI. I would like people who read these types of articles to be careful before they judge.Unfortunatley I am a African American and my Wife is White. In retrospect I am embarrassed that I subjected my family, friends and my department to this unfortunate incident, however I remain convinced that if the Holland Police Officer was interested in my wife's safety as he claimed the second question out of his mouth after asking what the problem was and being told that my wife and I were arguing, should have been him asking her if she was alright.Instead he told me I couldn't yell at her which is clearly not illegal in the state of ohio. What I was waiting for was for him to say the two of you should probably get into your vehicle and go home, instead he wanted to show me his power.I have been involved in law enforcement for thirty years and I know what good police work is, and clearly it didn't occurr that night. Since then all charges have been dropped and the record expunged. I just thought people who read these stories on this site should have the facts.Whenever there is a rush to judgement, justice is sacrificed."

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

...[Lancaster Police] Officer Randy Bartow, 56, of Logan, a 19-year member of the police department, was killed, as well as Stephanie J. Adams [Stephanie Jean Seifert], 38, and Kevin J. Adams... Court records showed that Stephanie Adams filed for dissolution in March, and it was granted in May...

POLICE WORK TO PIECE TOGETHER LANCASTER DOUBLE MURDER, SUICIDE
10TV
Wednesday October 24, 2012
[Excerpts] LANCASTER, Ohio - While police try to determine why three people died in a double murder/suicide on Tuesday, friends and family members remembered the way the victims lived. Police said that 40-year-old Kevin Adams arrived at the home of his ex-wife, Stephanie Adams, and shot and killed her and then her boyfriend, Lancaster Police Officer Randy Bartow, before shooting and killing himself... Brian Darfus said that there was a big void around his office when he arrived at Century 21 Darfus Realty on Tuesday. Stephanie Adams worked there as a realtor for the past eight years. “She’d always stop by my office door and ask me how I was doing, and that’s just the kind of person she was,” Darfus said. “Even when things weren’t good in her life, she always came in and made everybody else smile and always acted crazy.” Those in town also remembered Bartow, who was a decorated and respected Lancaster police officer who had been on the force since 1993. 10TV News looked at Bartow’s personnel records and found them full of compliments from supervisors and citizens. Bartow had been named Officer of the Year twice... [Full article here]

LANCASTER POLICE OFFICER AMONG 3 DEAD IN SHOOTING
Chillicothe Gazette
2:08 PM, Oct 23, 2012
[Excerpts] A decorated Lancaster police officer who was off duty has been identified as the third person killed in a double murder-suicide ... Officer Randy Bartow, 56, of Logan, a 19-year member of the police department, was killed, as well as Stephanie J. Adams, 38, and Kevin J. Adams, 40, both of Lancaster. All three were shot and killed at 196 Cleveland Ave... Neighbors heard yelling, a scream and then a series of “pops,” Bosch said... Stephanie Adams was one of the people who called 911. According to the log, there were screams and she kept yelling at “Kevin” to stop pointing a gun... Court records showed that Stephanie Adams filed for dissolution in March, and it was granted in May... Bartow joined the Lancaster Police Department in 1993 after working with the Logan Police Department since 1978. He initially served as a detective, and transferred to the patrol division in 1999. He was named officer of the year by his fellow officers in 1999 and 2002 and won the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce’s Markwood Award in 2003. Stephanie Adams worked at Darfus Realty and at Rooster’s in Lancaster.... [Full article here]

COMMUNITY MEMBERS, FRIENDS REMEMBER SLAIN OFFICER
By: NBC4 - NBC4
October 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Members of the Lancaster Police Department remember fellow officer, Randy Bartow, 56, who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide, early Tuesday morning.... Friends and neighbors from his hometown of Logan, Ohio, in Hocking County say they were shocked to learn of his death. “It just about made me sick. Such a terrible thing; such a terrible tragedy,” said Sharon Stimmel, a friend of Bartow and his family... "He was a true professional and a valued member of our agency. His passing is a great loss to the Lancaster community and to Ohio law enforcement. He will be sadly missed, we ask that you keep Officer Bartow’s family and the Lancaster community in your prayers," said Chief Aaron Miller... [Full article here]

"We are extremely saddened by the tragic death of our brother, uncle and friend, Officer Randy Bartow. His kindness and generosity towards others was evident in all that he did. Randy was a proud police officer his entire adult life, and served with pride in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and Ohio Army National Guard. He will be greatly missed by his family, co-workers, friends, and the many residents he touched with his compassion. We are thankful for the outpouring of support during this incredibly difficult time.Thank you very much,Lindsay Bartow"

UPDATE:

FRIENDS, FAMILIES STRUGGLE WITH LANCASTER DEATHS
CentralOhio.com
Michelle George and Francesca Sacco
Oct 25, 2012
[Excerpts] LANCASTER — When Ohio University Lancaster student Cheryse Hubbard participates in a two-mile walk today to raise awareness of domestic violence, she will be thinking of a dear friend and co-worker whose life came to an end too soon... “Stephanie was one of those people who, if you needed anything, no matter what, she would do everything in her power to do it for you. She would give you the shirt off her back, anything... She had the hugest heart... Everybody at work loved Stephanie; she’s going to be missed dearly... She was always there to listen and to try and give the best advice. She was never really one to complain about her life and what happened to her.” Across town, [Randy] Bartow’s co-workers at the Lancaster Police Department also were grieving the loss of a friend. Bartow was a decorated police officer who worked in the patrol bureau and was well-known within the community. He was off-duty Tuesday morning when he was killed. “It is very solemn here,” Lancaster Police Chief David Bailey said Wednesday... In his personnel file, there are all kinds of small notes, cards and letters on official stationary, but they all say the same thing — how he went out of his way to help somebody,” Bailey said. “For someone to write a note and mail it down here tells a lot about the impact he had because it takes time to do something like that and people are busy”... [Kevin and Stephanie's niece Amber] Singer said that while funeral arrangements for her aunt and uncle are pending, she hopes that they could possibly be buried together. “They loved each other, “ said Singer. “Our family is very distraught by this. We don’t understand. We have a lot of unanswered questions. But he was an amazing and loving person and nobody is seeing that”... [Full article here]

OFFICER RANDY BARTOW REMEMBERED AS MAN OF HUMOR, COMPASSION
Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
Blake Williams
Oct 28, 2012
[Excerpts] LOGAN — From a 9 a.m. briefing in Lancaster to an 11 a.m. service at the Logan Church of the Nazarene to the burial at Greenlawn Cemetery in Nelsonville, the friends and family of deceased Lancaster Police Officer Randy Bartow dedicated miles and hours to honoring his memory Saturday. Many used the drive to reflect on their lost friend. “I kind of chuckled when we were driving up here,” Bartow’s former partner, Kevin Everhart, said. “Leave it to Randy to find a cemetery back in this location. That’s just the way Randy was, he was a prankster. (During the drive) I was just kind of reminiscing on some of the good times that we had”... Everhart was glad people in mourning were able to find humor during the service, he said, and thought his friend would have appreciated it. “He was laughing at us, trust me,” he said. “That’s the way Randy was. He tried to find humor in everything”... Lancaster was not the only law enforcement agency represented at the funeral. Officers from Lithopolis, Baltimore, Columbus, Logan, Pickerington and Hocking County, among others, attended... Most of those officers stood at attention in spitting rain as Bartow’s casket was transported to the hearse and again at the grave site while the remaining members of the force served as pallbearers. The police officers stood six rows deep at Greenlawn Cemetery below an American flag lowered to half staff with a black bow affixed to its corner... “Randy was unlike most people,” [Lancaster Police Officer John] Hill said. “He was very sincere; he would do anything for anybody regardless of what it would cost him. You can say this about a lot of people and it’s not always meant, that he would give you the shirt of his back, but with Randy, he most definitely would do that.” Bartow also was known for giving people the shirt out of his pocket. In his time as a police officer, he developed a habit of folding dollar bills into origami shirts and giving them to people he encountered whose day needed a lift... [Full article here]

UPDATE:

WALKERS REMEMBER LANCASTER MURDER VICTIMS

myfox28columbus.com

Thursday, October 25 2012

...Several people took part in the two-mile walk, which raised money for the Lighthouse domestic violence shelter. Also on the minds of the participants were Stephanie Seifert and Lancaster Police Officer Randy Bartow, who were killed Tuesday, allegedly by Siefert's ex-husband. Seifert's friend, Cheryse Hubbard, took part in the walk, and says Stephanie "would've wanted something good to come out of [the murders]." Hubbard said a golf outing is being planned to raise money for Seifert's family... LINK

OU-LANCASTER STUDENTS TO WALK IN HONOR OF VICTIM

WOUB

Published Thu, Oct 25, 2012

Ohio University Lancaster students will honor a domestic violence victim in the "Walk in Their Shoes" event Thursday afternoon. After Stephanie Adams was shot and killed in an incident related to domestic violence early Tuesday morning, several of her friends decided to participate in the walk... Stephanie Adams' friends plan to carry pictures of her during the walk. Adams' friend Cheryse Hubbard said she thinks Adams would be happy to see people participating. "From the situation, most can see that it was domestic violence and I think Stephanie would be proud of everybody who comes out and if something good from this situation can come out of it by somebody getting out of a domestic violence situation because of the walk today, I think Stephanie would be very proud and very happy," said Hubbard... LINK

Friends of Adams walked with heavy hearts at a bike path behind the Lancaster branch of Ohio University. "If anything was wrong she would tell you it was going to be ok, no matter what was going on in her life," said Jackie Taylor. The two mile trek was called "Walk In Their Shoes." The dozens who showed up talked about the shock of the tragedy and the need for domestic violence to end. "Nobody should ever touch somebody else with anger love that if you love someone like that and it's just horrifying to think what she went through," said Taylor Adams’ co-workers from Rooster’s said that they can’t believe she is gone. They hope her death will make more people realize that they don’t have to stay in a violent relationship. "Don't be afraid to speak up, don't stay no matter how much you love, sometimes people don't change"... There were 45 shoes placed along the path which represented a person who is touched by domestic violence every 15 minutes in this country... LINK

OUL WALK REMEMBERS ADAMS AND ALL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Ohio.edu / Slideshow

2012-10-25

About 40 people took part in a walk on the Ohio University Lancaster Campus Thursday afternoon to honor domestic violence victims. The walk had been planned for several weeks but happened to take place two days after three people in Lancaster were killed in what police are calling a domestic violence incident. Several Ohio University Lancaster students walked in honor of one of the victims, Stephanie Adams. They carried pictures of her with them when walking the Lancaster bike trail near campus... An off-duty Lancaster Police Officer [Randy Bartow] was killed in the incident as well. Two Lancaster Police Officers took part in the walk in his honor... LINK

Sunday, October 14, 2012

...[Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael] Thomas said victim Jennifer Webb's actions on the night of her murder gave them the evidence needed to convict [Buena Vista police officer Kenneth] Bluew. "Jenny Webb convicted this person because without her fighting for her life and biting off his fingertip, we wouldn't have had half the evidence we did"... When family members of Jennifer Webb learned of her death, [told to them to be] an apparent suicide in August 2011, it was amid confusion and shock and without warning...

Buena Vista police officer Ken Bluew, who is on unpaid suspension, has been found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, assaulting a pregnant individual - intentionally causing miscarriage or stillbirth of a fetus or embryo, and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

BREAKING: KEN BLUEW GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER OF THE PREGNANT JENNIFER WEBB
MLive.com
By Andy Hoag
on October 11, 2012
[Excerpts] Kenneth T. Bluew will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury this afternoon convicted him of murdering Jennifer Webb, the woman who was eight months pregnant with his son. After deliberating for about two hours, the jury of seven women and five men convicted Bluew, 37, of first-degree premeditated murder in Webb's Aug. 30, 2011, death at North Outer and Hack in Buena Vista Township. The charge carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.... Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas delivered a 55-minute closing argument, telling the jury there was “overwhelming” evidence that Bluew planned to kill Webb, who planned to name her son Braxton. Bluew's attorney, Rod O'Farrell, spent 80 minutes arguing that the Michigan State Police's investigation was flawed and that Webb committed suicide... Bluew elected against testifying on his own behalf. The jury also convicted Bluew, who lived in Saginaw Township, of assaulting a pregnant individual intentionally causing miscarriage or stillbirth of a fetus or embryo and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony... [Full article here]

JENNIFER WEBB CONVICTED KEN BLUEW BY FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE, PROSECUTOR SAYS FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICT
MLive.com
By Brad Devereaux
on October 11, 2012
[Excerpts] Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas commended his prosecution team and investigators who gathered and processed evidence in the murder trial for former Buena Vista police officer Ken Bluew, which ended today with a guilty verdict. But Thomas said victim Jennifer Webb's actions on the night of her murder gave them the evidence needed to convict Bluew. "Jenny Webb convicted this person because without her fighting for her life and biting off his fingertip, we wouldn't have had half the evidence we did," Thomas said moments after the jury's guilty verdict was announced Thursday, Oct. 11... "You look at the police officers in our community and you never think that they could do something like that," Thomas said. The Michigan State Police investigative arm and the Michigan State crime lab deserve credit for the outcome of the case, along with chief assistant prosecutor Jeff Stroud, Thomas said... [Full article here]

JENNIFER WEBB'S MOTHER: CONVICTED MURDERER KEN BLUEW 'KNEW WHAT HE HAD DONE'
MLive.com
By Andy Hoag
on October 11, 2012
[Excerpts] When Dawn Webb's three children were younger and found themselves in trouble, she would make them sit in a room by themselves and think about what they'd done. Now, Webb said late this afternoon, Kenneth T. Bluew will have the chance to do the same thing — for the rest of his life. That's because Bluew, 37, was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in the Aug. 30, 2011, death of Webb's daughter, Jennifer. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole... “He was way too smug, like he was going to get away with it,” Webb said of Bluew. “But he knew what he had done”... Bluew, surrounded by nine Saginaw County sheriff's deputies, showed no emotion as the jury foreman read the verdict... Members of both Bluew's and Webb's family wept, albeit quietly, as they heard the verdict... Bluew and fellow Buena Vista Police Officer Tim Patterson found the 32-year-old Webb's body hanging by an extension cord from the roof rack of her Pontiac Aztek at North Outer and Hack in Buena Vista Township. Bluew, who did not testify, told Michigan State Police Detective Sgts. Allan Ogg and Jason Teddy, now a lieutenant, that he had arrived at the scene just before Patterson did. Bluew said he found an “obvious suicide note” in Webb's purse and didn't recognize Webb until he saw her driver's license... a DNA expert from the state police testified that a DNA test showed that Bluew was the father of the baby. Saginaw County Medical Examiner Kanu Virani testified that he ruled Webb's death a homicide by carotid neck compression through the use of a choke hold and not a suicide by strangulation... Dawn Webb said today that part of her relief stemmed from the fact that “it's been a very long year” and thanked Thomas, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey D. Stroud, and the state police investigators. “They were very professional,” she said. “We knew that they were in our corner”... “She had so many friends,” Webb said of her daughter. “We received support from Sweden, Hawaii, Venezuela — friends that she had who have moved away. “I don't know how to thank everybody,” she continued. “The support was overwhelming”... [Full article here]

...Angela Webb spoke with her mother just after 2 a.m. Aug. 31, 2011, and learned that police found her sister dead in an apparent suicide. Webb knew that her sister, Jennifer Webb, was “ecstatic” about soon giving birth to a son she named Braxton, and refused to believe that her sister would kill herself. “I said, 'That's bull----'"...

KEN BLUEW FOUND GUILTY IN MURDER OF PREGNANT JENNIFER WEBB; FAMILY OF VICTIM THANKFUL FOR JUSTICE
Mlive.com
By Brad Devereaux
October 11, 2012
[Excerpts] When family members of Jennifer Webb learned of her death, an apparent suicide in August 2011, it was amid confusion and shock and without warning. Following the announcement today that former Buena Vista police officer Ken Bluew is guilty of murder for the then-pregnant Webb, the victim's family members feel that justice has been served, but they still wonder why Bluew thought she had to die. "There will never be closure, but we know that justice has been done," said Jennifer Webb's aunt, Sharon Meyers... "Two families have been destroyed," she said, "and we still don't know why (Bluew) made the choices he did"... The couple's son and Webb's first cousin, Jonathon Meyers, 28, said when he found out by text message that Webb had committed suicide, it didn't seem right. He said Webb was excited about the baby that she planned to give birth to and she was not suicidal, contrary to what the defense argued during the nearly three-week trial... "It goes to show you there are people out there who think they are above the law"... [Full article here]

JENNIFER WEBB'S FAMILY, FRIENDS REACT TO KEN BLUEW GUILTY VERDICT IN THE PREGNANT WEBB'S DEATH
MLive.com
By Bob Johnson
October 11, 2012
[Excerpts] ...Despite the conviction of first-degree premeditated murder in the Aug. 30, 2011, death of Jennifer Webb, who was eight months pregnant with [Buena Vista police officer Kenneth] Bluew's son, there is no happiness, Webb's aunt said. “There were no winners for (Bluew’s) family or ours," Barb McNally said. "But I’m satisfied with the verdict... I’ve been here since the beginning (of trial), and I will be here for sentencing,” she said... The jury also convicted Bluew, 37, of assaulting a pregnant individual intentionally causing miscarriage or stillbirth of a fetus or embryo and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony... [Full article here]

CONVICTED COP KEN BLUEW'S SENTENCING SET FOR NOV. 5; PRISON PERSONNEL TO DECIDE ON 'PROTECTIVE SEGREGATION'
Mlive.com
By Andy Hoag
October 12, 2012
[Excerpts] When a jury convicted suspended police officer Kenneth T. Bluew of murdering Jennifer Webb, his sentence was set by law: mandatory life in prison without parole. A Saginaw County judge is expected to impose that penalty when Bluew appears for sentencing Nov. 5. But where Bluew will serve his term in state prison hasn't been determined, and his status as a former officer could influence where and how he's assigned to a correctional facility... Bluew's status as a former police officer will factor into his placement... the nature of the crime for which he was convicted also is a factor... Other classification factors include his health, mental health, and educational or other special needs... Bluew has remained on unpaid suspension from the Buena Vista Police Department since the days following Webb's death. Sgt. Sean Waterman, the department's acting chief, said Friday he has submitted paperwork to Dexter Mitchell, the interim township manager, for a change of employment status for Bluew, seeking his termination... Every defendant in Michigan who is convicted of a felony after a trial has a right to appeal his or her conviction to the state Court of Appeals... [Full article here]

FROM LAST MONTH:

PROSECUTOR: KEN BLUEW KILLED HIS PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND JENNIFER WEBB AND 'MADE IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING ELSE'
mlive.com
By Andy Hoag
on September 25, 2012
[Excerpts] Jennifer Webb was “happy, she was healthy, she was having a baby” and “did not commit suicide,” a prosecutor said today. Instead, Saginaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey D. Stroud told a jury of nine women and five men, Kenneth T. Bluew killed the 32-year-old Webb and “made it look like something else.”... Bluew and fellow Buena Vista Police Officer Tim Patterson found Webb's body... Police treated the death as a suicide until [Sgt. Sean] Waterman spoke with Webb's parents, who told Waterman that Bluew was the father of Braxton and that Webb was excited to give birth to the baby... Bluew's blood was found in various parts of Webb's vehicle and a bloody fingerprint on the passenger side door matched Bluew's right index finger. The fingerprint “had a piece of it missing”... [Full article here]

JENNIFER WEBB'S MOTHER, SISTER TESTIFY IN KEN BLUEW TRIAL ABOUT LEARNING OF HER DEATH
mlive.com
By Andy Hoag
September 28, 2012
[Excerpts] Angela Webb spoke with her mother just after 2 a.m. Aug. 31, 2011, and learned that police found her sister dead in an apparent suicide. Webb knew that her sister, Jennifer Webb, was “ecstatic” about soon giving birth to a son she named Braxton, and refused to believe that her sister would kill herself. “I said, 'That's bull----,' ” Webb testified this morning. Webb and her mother, Dawn Webb, cried together on the phone, and then Webb went to her parents' Bridgeport Township home, where Jennifer Webb recently had moved and prepared her bedroom for her soon-to-be newborn... [Buena Vista Police Officer Ken]Bluew already was at North Outer and Hack in Buena Vista Township about 11 p.m. Aug. 30 when fellow Officer Tim Patterson drove to the area... [Buena Vista Police Sgt. Sean] Waterman was called to the scene and treated the death as a suicide — until he learned of who the father of the baby was. Waterman “got kind of white,” Dawn Webb testified this morning, and said they needed to sit down and continue their conversation... Dawn Webb testified that Waterman called their home and told her that he was standing outside their home. When he entered the home, Waterman told her and her husband, Don, that their daughter's body was found. “I said, 'My daughter may be dead, but she did not commit suicide'” Webb testified... Angela Webb testified that her sister told her that Bluew was the father of the baby. Jennifer Webb eventually decided to name Bluew on Braxton's birth certificate and planned to go to the county Friend of the Court to secure child support,... [Full article here][police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder michigan state alleged suicide unsolved unresolved usur politics]

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Benton County sheriff's Deputy Abel Prieto Campos walks away from domestic violence charge despite hair pulled out of his wife's head and signs of physical assault on the side of her head because she recanted and her mother backed away.

Recanting seems to be the norm in officer-involved domestic violence. Is she claiming to have beat herself up and yanked out her own hair? The articles don't say.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE AGAINST SHERIFF'S DEPUTY DISMISSED
The Bellingham Herald
Kristin M. Kraemer, Tri-City Herald
Published: October 13, 2012
[Excerpts] The case against a Benton County sheriff's deputy accused of hitting his wife was dismissed Friday because the alleged victim changed her story and his mother-in-law refused to come to court, the prosecutor said. Abel Prieto Campos, 42, had been set to face a jury Monday in Benton County District Court on a simple assault charge with domestic violence... [Campos attorney, Yakima lawyer Adam] Moore asked for the return of his client's duty weapon... Sheriff Steve Keane on Friday told the Herald that his internal investigation is almost complete... The sheriff also explained that the burden of proof is different in an internal investigation. Where proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" is required in a criminal case, "ours is based on a preponderance of evidence" he said... Richland officers were sent to Campos' Greenview Drive home at 11:58 p.m. June 2... Police found Campos' wife "visibly upset and crying"... Campos allegedly hit her on the side of the head two or three times while she was in bed next to the young girl. Some of the woman's hair was pulled out in the alleged attack, and she later showed police a wad of hair. The woman told officers that after Campos left the room, she called her mother, who called police, court documents said. One officer noted that the right side of the woman's head and her right ear were red as if they had been hit, there was a spot behind her right ear where hair appeared to be missing, and there was swelling above her right eye, documents said. Campos told police "it was a verbal argument only"... [Full article here]

LAST JUNE:

BENTON CO. DEPUTY ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE
KAPP-TV
By Josh Peterson.
Published Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
[Excerpts] A Benton County sheriff's deputy is put on administrative leave as officers investigate him for an alleged assault. According to court documents, 40 year-old Able Campos is suspected of assaulting his wife... She said the assault caused her hair to be pulled out, and she showed a wad of hair to officers when they arrived.... The Richland Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident, and the Benton County Sheriff's office is conducting its own internal investigation as well. "We'll wait to see what the outcome of the criminal investigation is and then we'll apply everything to the administrative investigation to see where we're at. And again, he's been a good employee and I don't want to presume that he's guilty or innocent" said Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane... Sheriff Keane says that investigation could take months to complete... [Full article here] [Full article here]

BENTON SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ARRESTED
Tri-City Herald
By Paula Horton and Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writers
Published: June 5, 2012
[Excerpts]
...[Benton County sheriff's deputy] Abel Prieto Campos, 40, spent about 30 hours in the Benton County and Franklin County jails before his appearance Monday morning in Benton County District Court. Campos was released after his court appearance after pleading innocent to simple assault with domestic violence filed by the city of Richland. Simple assault is a gross misdemeanor offense, comparable to fourth-degree assault... [Richland Capt. Mike] Cobb said he was immediately notified of the incident by his department's on-duty supervisor, which is standard procedure for officer-involved arrests. A sheriff's commander also was called by a sheriff's department on-duty supervisor, he said. Cobb, who was in contact with the sheriff's commander during the arrest, said he directed his officers to take Campos to the Franklin County jail "because of the risks involved" in housing him at the Benton County jail. What happened next is characterized by Keane as a "convoluted mess," spurred by what Cobb called "an unfortunate series of miscommunication"... Judge Burrowes ordered Campos not to consume any alcohol and to have no contact with his wife and daughter while the case is pending. His personal guns reportedly were secured by a relative, but Campos must surrender them to the city of Richland by June 11 to be held by police until the case is resolved... [SheriffKeane said he also intends to review the department's policies and procedures in light of what happened. [Full article here][police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety recant state politics]

WGNO News
Sheldon Fox
...A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrest report says Lt. Conrad Lewis, 41, an assistant warden at the St. John jail, was spotted repeatedly punching a woman inside his parked 2005 Dodge Dorango in a parking lot at 100 Labarre Road... The reporting deputy writes he observed "a large amount of blood on the victim, her clothing and spread throughout the passenger compartment [of the SUV]... The arresting deputy reported Lewis and the alleged victim "have been in a romantic relationship together for 16 years, currently reside together and have a 14-year-old son together"...

L'Observateur, LaPlace, LA
By Robin Shannon
...According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Conrad Lewis, 41, an assistant warden at the St. John Parish jail, was arrested Sunday evening after witnesses said he was seen repeatedly punching a woman inside a parked 2005 Dodge Durango at a parking lot on Labarre Road in Metairie. A Sheriff’s Office report stated that an eyewitness in the area reported she heard the woman screaming for help while trying to exit the vehicle... After the responding deputy obtained “conflicting statements” from Lewis and the victim, he arrested Lewis. While the deputy searched Lewis’ belongings, he recovered an “orange medical container” with pills...[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal deputy louisiana state politics]

Monday, October 8, 2012

When Sisters Turn on Each Other
Worldwide Hippies (WWH)
By Diana May-Waldman, Bureau editor
2012 October 5
[Excerpts] When women intentionally and maliciously turn on one another, it really bothers me. I am especially frustrated when I see another woman re-victimize someone who has already been victimized... Rosaura Torres wrote a book about the years of abuse she survived at the hands of her husband. The book, Abuse Hidden Behind the Badge details her life, beginning when she was a child and ends with her story of survival and fight for justice when she is finally left with loss of vision in one of her eyes. Torres abuser was a cop... A self proclaimed journalist at LIPNews - Lancaster Independent News - took an interest in Torres story. She spent a lot of time with her discussing the book and gaining Torres trust. Within days and without warning the “journalist” posted on her blog a scathing review of Rosa’s book - even though she admitted several times that she didn’t actually read the book... In my research I discover that this woman had been a victim of sexual abuse and incest, which she herself had written about. It helped me to understand her better and to understand the depth of her anger. The depth of her pain... However, until one is willing to the do the work that is necessary to heal old wounds, they will continue to lash out at others. And at what point do we expect people to take responsibility for their actions?... The “journalist’ and Torres are two women who share backgrounds of abuse. One has done the work needed to heal. One has not. It took a great amount of courage for Torres to write her book. I also feel in writing the book, she found some healing. She let the secrets out that she was taught to keep. That is never easy. Her book was painfully honest, even during the times in which she reveals things about herself that were hard for her to face... In the end we are SISTERS and WARRIORS that have to keep reaching out to one another. We have to keep holding each other up and not pushing each other down.[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety pennsylvania state politics women's rights]